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Whiteplains Plantation (SC99)

Need to get in touch with a person at Whiteplains? Here is the contact information.
Whiteplains Public Information:
Don Cook 100 Cirrus Way Gilbert, South Carolina 29054
(803) 543-8108 Email: duckey123@gmail.com

Friday, July 25, 2014

I don't normally pass these around but this one struck my heart.
Maybe we could organize and help the process along. Perhaps just some
time and effort not money, not sure. It seems like an admiral cause.

Monday, July 14, 2014

Editor's Note:
After original publication of this article, the FAA corrected the
number of fuels it announced it would evaluate as potential replacements
to 100LL avgas. The article has been updated to reflect the correct
number.

The FAA has accepted nine fuels to be evaluated as potential
replacements to 100 low-lead avgas, marking significant progress in the
search for an unleaded fuel to serve the general aviation fleet.
Worldwide, approximately 230,000 aircraft primarily rely on 100 low-lead
avgas for safe operation, and some 167,000 of those are based in the
United States.
The FAA announced July 10 that it had received proposals from five
different groups, including Afton Chemical Company; Avgas LLC; Shell;
Swift Fuels; and a consortium made up of BP, TOTAL, and Hjelmco.
Companies worldwide were given until July 1 to submit unleaded fuels for
evaluation as part of the Piston Aviation Fuels Initiative (PAFI).

“Aviation organizations, the petroleum industry, and the FAA
are working collaboratively to ensure the aviation community will have
access to unleaded fuel that meets performance and safety standards, is
affordable, and can be used by the existing fleet with minimal
disruption,” said AOPA President Mark Baker. “We are pleased with the
progress so far and look forward to the next phase.”
AOPA is a key member of the PAFI Steering Group, which also includes
the American Petroleum Institute, the Experimental Aircraft Association,
the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, the National Air
Transportation Association, and the National Business Aviation
Association.
With the deadline to submit fuels closed, each proposal will be
evaluated in terms of the impact on the existing fleet, production and
distribution infrastructure, environment, toxicological effects, and
cost of aircraft operations. The most promising fuels will be selected
for the first phase of laboratory testing, set to begin in September at
the FAA’s William J. Hughes Technical Center.
From there the field will be further narrowed and the most viable
candidates will move on to full-scale testing in engines and aircraft.
The goal of this second phase of testing, which will require selected
manufacturers to submit 10,000 gallons of fuel each, is to generate
standardized property and performance data necessary to demonstrate
scalability of production, and support qualification and fleet-wide
certification data.
The FAA has set a goal of deploying an unleaded avgas by 2018, and
Congress has expressed its support for the program, providing $6 million
in funding this year and proposing the same level of funding for 2015.

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Dusty has a new career in “Planes: Fire and Rescue.” Image courtesy of Disney.

The action may be animated, but the production team behind Disney’s upcoming film Planes: Fire and Rescue, sequel to the 2013 animated feature Planes, strove to keep every detail as realistic as possible.
Great pains were taken to avoid mistakes, such as propellers turning
in the wrong direction or aircraft doing things that are simply
impossible, and to get the details right when portraying how a range of
firefighting aircraft perform in the air. Consulting with professional
pilots and firefighters, they worked to craft characters that, aside
from being talking airplanes and helicopters, behave as their real-life
counterparts do, down to the aerodynamics and radio phraseology.

“It has to be a believable world,” said Bobs Gannaway, the new
film’s director, in a telephone interview with AOPA. “Then, you will
hopefully forget that it’s animated, and just get into the story.”
The story began coming together while Planes was still in
production, and Gannaway set out in search of a new mission for Dusty
Crophopper, the central character of both films (voiced by actor Dane
Cook). Once Gannaway learned that agricultural aircraft are also used
for aerial firefighting, it was time to learn how it is done in real
life.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection,
better known as Cal Fire, responded with enthusiasm when Gannaway and
producer Ferrell Barron reached out seeking help. The real-life
firefighters who specialize in backcountry fire suppression invited the
movie crew to tour firefighting bases and observe training exercises.
Barron said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Travis Alexander was particularly
involved throughout the four-year effort to make the film, which opens
July 18. Alexander and others on the Cal Fire staff coordinated numerous
meetings with pilots, smoke jumpers, and others on the firefighting
team. With helicopters added to the cast of characters, the producers
also enlisted renowned aerobatic helicopter pilot Chuck Aaron, known
for demonstrating a wide range of highly unusual attitudes in Red Bull
colors, because Aaron knows exactly what a helicopter can and cannot do
as well as any pilot flying. Sean Bautista, who consulted on the
original Planes, also helped steer the storytellers in the right direction. (Planes opened following a special screening at EAA AirVenture 2013 and went on to gross nearly $220 million worldwide, according to BoxOffice.com.)
This second installment is dedicated to firefighters, and is the first animated feature to pay such a tribute, Barron said.

The
“Planes: Fire and Rescue” production team consulted with aviators and
firefighters to create a realistic animated world. Image courtesy of
Disney.

While animated films are typically made with younger audiences in
mind, both producer and director said they were gratified that early
screenings for Cal Fire staff (and families) drew an enthusiastic
response.
“We want aviators to enjoy the film and be excited that it is
accurate,” Gannaway said. “The second thing is, we want the firefighters
to watch the movie and also say that they got it right, or if we
cheated a little bit, they understand why.”
Gannaway confessed there is one particular scene where they did have
to “cheat” a little bit, though he was coy about which particular laws
of physics may have been infringed upon. He said aviators should not
have trouble spotting it, and there was no getting around it, either.
They gave it a lot of thought, and decided in the end that the needs of
the story trumped the need for realism, just once.
“I’m hoping that I got one get out of jail card,” Gannaway said.

The July/August 2014 issue of FAA Safety Briefing
focuses on Flying Companions. In this issue we look to provide a basic
guide for friends and loved ones who join us in the air or might have an
interest in doing so. In addition, you can learn about the current
state of ADS-B and where it’s going in the future.

This notice is being sent to you because you selected "FAA Newsletters"
in your preferences on FAASafety.gov.
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Mark your
calendars for pilots meeting on July 21, 2014 @ 7:00pm. Jim Franklin
will present a short program on "ramp checks". If you've never been
checked you need to know this valuable information. I'm looking forward
to this one! This will most likely be Jim's last presentation as he is
retiring soon. Will try to send a reminder a few days before meeting.

Saturday, July 05, 2014

Hi Neighbors
Let's get together with Bob and Elaine Chatham for a final farewell. They are a great couple and we will miss them. We are planning to go to the Flight Deck Tuesday (7/8) 6:30 PM for those who are able to attend.
Please let Peggy know by Monday PM for the reservations. (951-0773 or 530-4962 or email: billandpeggycomo@windstream.net )
Thanks to all,
Bill and Peggy

Video: Awesome Aerial Fireworks

As the nation gears up for July 4th firework displays across the country, check out a more unique kind of celebration from the European-based Twister Aerobatics Team. Flying a specially crafted airplane known as the Silence Twister that is built with a honeycomb core and powered by a 107 hp UL Power engine, the team has been lighting up the night sky with spectacular pyrotechnic effects for the past several years.

Check out the videos below and see just how amazing their sparkling night show can be.

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Read more at http://www.flyingmag.com/pilots-places/pilots-adventures-more/video-awesome-aerial-fireworks#cHJ9JFwvFZGZHfDP.99

Four things to know about unmanned aircraft

Titans of aerospace and startups alike gathered in Grand Fork, N.D., June 25 and 26 to discuss the future of unmanned aircraft in the National Airspace System. Here’s what a general aviation pilot should know about the emerging industry.

1. Don’t call them “drones.” They’ve gone by many names—drones, unmanned aerial vehicles, remotely piloted vehicles—but “drones” causes Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International President Michael Toscano the most angst. To the public, it connotes military, hostile, weaponized, and autonomous, he said. In reality, unmanned aircraft have a number of applications—search and rescue, crop monitoring, movie filming, and firefighting among them—and operating each aircraft is a human making the decisions. “There’s nothing unmanned about an unmanned system,” he said. The FAA term is “unmanned aircraft systems” (UAS), which encompasses the airframe as well as the communications link and ground station.

2. You’re already sharing the air. In addition to military training in special-use airspace, the FAA issues certificates of waiver or authorization (COAs) permitting military and public agencies to operate in certain defined, low-population areas and has begun to approve commercial operations on a case-by-case basis. Randy Willis, air traffic manager of the FAA UAS Integration Office, told attendees at the UAS Action Summit in Grand Forks that there are currently 675 authorizations for UAS to fly in the National Airspace System, with 226 more applications pending. And while the FAA says anyone operating an unmanned aircraft commercially in the U.S. must go through it first, many aren’t waiting for permission. Unauthorized flights are less predictable for other airspace users, and the FAA said it has recently seen an increase in reports of UAS sightings from pilots.

3. Look high and low. Unmanned aircraft are primarily making their debut high in the flight levels or low to the ground. High-altitude, long endurance aircraft like the Global Hawk aren’t much of a traffic hazard for GA pilots, but AOPA Vice President of Government Affairs Melissa Rudinger emphasized to attendees at the conference that GA has many operations in the lower altitudes of Class G airspace where small UAS use is expected to grow. See and avoid, the cornerstone of collision avoidance in the air, becomes “sense and avoid” or “detect and avoid” in the unmanned world, and is essential to unmanned aircraft’s integration into the National Airspace System.

4. Regulations are … good? “I would say there’s very few industries that want to be regulated,” said Toscano. “We’re one of them.” On one side, regulations will eliminate the guesswork of UAS companies trying to develop to regulatory standards that don’t yet exist. On the other side, they’ll provide a way to ensure that unmanned operations don’t threaten other users of the system. From the early emergence of unmanned aircraft technology, AOPA’s priority has been ensuring the safety of the humans in the system. The association and dozens of others signed on to a letter earlier in 2014 urging the FAA to hasten its efforts to establish regulations for small unmanned aircraft. The FAA has said it will publish a regulatory proposal establishing ground rules for the aircraft by the end of 2014.

Author Biography

Sarah Deener | Editor – Web, AOPA

AOPA Editor – Web Sarah Deener has worked for AOPA since 2009 and has been a private pilot since 2011.